A Mother's Love
by Kaze no Ato
Summary: In which Ikuko realizes something about Usagi, and wants to show she understands.


A Mother's Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. Naoko Takeuchi is the mastermind behind the pretty girl soldier in the sailor fuku!

Ikuko always knew there was something special about her daughter. Perhaps 'special' was not the right word. Usagi, her entire being, was something that Ikuko could not find the words to describe properly. An outsider would see a lazy academic underachiever, who enjoyed her manga and sweets a little more than she should. While Usagi was indeed those things, Ikuko had heard her daughter reason out problems that had stumped both her husband and herself, only to have Usagi blink and go back to playing her video game as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. At first, Ikuko brushed it off as a fluke – rare moments of maturity in a sea of childishness. The older Usagi got, however, the less her mother could ignore it. Usagi was a clumsy girl, had been her entire fourteen years of life, but lately she was showing reflexes that had not been there last year. She was lighter on her feet, could catch things if something dropped, Ikuko even caught her once jumping over the railing of the stair instead of cautiously taking the last four steps.

There was the cat, as well. Where the thing had come from, she had no idea. Usagi had brought it home one day, declared that she was named Luna and had been there since. The cat was dark gray, with that silly crescent-shaped bald spot in its fur. Ikuko swore that cat was not normal. It seemed far too intelligent to be a regular cat. She had heard a strange voice from her daughter's room one day, only to open the door and find no one other than Usagi playing her Sailor V video game with Luna sprawled on her bed. Sailor V – another new addition to Usagi's life. Ikuko vaguely remembered a crime fighter that went by the name a year ago but had not been heard of for some time. Now Sailor Moon was the big thing. Ikuko was starting to not believe in coincidences.

It was around this time that Ikuko noticed her daughter's bed would be empty when she went to check on her children in the middle of the night. The first time has scared her so bad that she had run downstairs to grab their cordless phone, dialing the police as she ran back to Usagi's room. The shock of seeing her daughter's sleeping form in a bed that she had thought empty not two minutes ago was so serious that she dropped the phone and had shaken Usagi awake. Her oldest child's eyes cracked open wearily as she asked exactly where Usagi had been. The blonde girl smiled sleepily, hugged her mother and told her she had obviously been sleep walking and having a nightmare. Ikuko had back to bed, honestly believing the girl. That belief was shattered the next time she found an empty bed.

Could it have been the new friends she had made recently? Ikuko could not believe those girls would be the cause of the nightly disappearances, they were all nice girls who had brought much happiness to her daughter's lonely life. Her mind was awhirl with all sorts of possibilities for her daughter's absence. She had gone back to check to see if her daughter's bed was still empty one night, just to make sure she was back like every other night. Only this night she would catch a glimpse of a man in an exquisite tuxedo, a white mask over his eyes, as he laid her sleeping daughter down to bed. Ikuko had clamped down her gasp before it could escape and give her away as the tuxedoed man placed a gentle kiss on Usagi's forehead and fled from her window.

Ikuko had worried the first time her daughter had not returned, nor called, as dinnertime neared. She had gone to the Crown Game Center, thinking time had simply slipped by Usagi as she played her favorite games. Ikuko found Furuhata Motoki behind the counter, talking to a dark-haired young man in a black turtleneck, a green jacket slung over the back of his chair. His blue eyes, startlingly familiar, caught hers and widened almost imperceptibly. Motoki greeted her with a smile, distracting her from the stranger, telling her that Usagi had gone with the girls to the Hikawa Shrine for a surprise cram session. She nodded her understanding, eyes flashing back to the young man and it dawned on her where she had seen him before. He was the man who had brought her Usagi home that night. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and Ikuko knew for sure who he was.

A crash from outside the arcade brought her attention to the windows behind her; a strange creature had crunched the hood of a small car in the street outside. Motoki had shot to her side; eyes wide in disbelief as five girls in their sailor fuku came bounding into their view. Sailor Moon and her senshi had arrived on the scene. Two blonde pigtails trailed behind the leader, her tiara taken from her forehead to become a glowing disk of energy in her hand. It was then that Ikuko realized why her daughter had been missing at night. Her daughter was Sailor Moon, and her new friends were her senshi. Ikuko's blood ran cold – scared beyond what she was the first night she had found Usagi's bed empty. She had to have been the worst mother in the world to miss it… who else but her daughter loved to wear her hair like that? She honestly couldn't believe anyone else that really knew her daughter had never figured it out. Well, she had her suspicions that Motoki knew. The girls were always hanging out at the arcade. The girls! Ikuko honestly wondered if she was as observant as she always prided herself on being. Yes, watching the way Motoki watched the girls… Motoki most certainly had to know. Her eyes cut to where the raven-haired young man was seated, but he had vanished. Then a tuxedoed form appeared in the street to join the fight against the strange monster. Ikuko felt sick, dizzy and scared all at once. Motoki's firm grip on Ikuko prevented her from hitting the floor when she fainted.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Ikuko noticed the strain in her daughter's sweet smile, and the dark circles not quite covered up by concealer. As a mother, her heart clenched seeing her daughter in such distress without being able to help her. Over the last few months she had been trying to let up on how harsh she had been with Usagi. Ikuko had started packing a little extra in her daughter's lunch, adding a sweet treat in there at least once a week. When Usagi would come home with a poor grade and tears in her eyes, Ikuko gave her a hug and a 'you'll do better next time.' Seeing the small smile on Usagi's face the first time she had said that was worth more than anything in the world. She hadn't told a single person her revelation about Sailor Moon's identity. It was safer for Usagi that way.

This morning her husband and son were away on a fishing trip, so she let Usagi sleep in today. From upstairs a thump of Usagi tripping as she got out of bed made Ikuko shake her head. Here she was thinking that her daughter had changed so much, when some things just never change. She pulled out the ingredients to make pancakes, a treat for Usagi. She had just ladled the batter onto the griddle when Usagi's yawn broke the silence,

"Good morning, dear." Ikuko called over her shoulder, "Pancakes will be done in a little bit. Papa and Shingo are out fishing, so it's just us this morning."

Usagi blinked the sleep from her eyes, "M-morning, mama."

Ikuko set a mug of hot cocoa in front of the blonde, Usagi's favorite multi-colored mini marshmallows piled in a heap in the cup. Blue eyes stared up at her in confusion, but she just gave Usagi a smile and a pat on the head. She hummed a lullaby she used to sing to Usagi as she finished up the pancakes, hearing contented noises from the girl as she drank her cocoa. Two plates of pancakes in hand, Ikuko placed one in front of Usagi and one for herself with warm syrup between them. It was rare that Ikuko indulged in such a sweet breakfast, but it was something she enjoyed almost as much as her daughter. They ate in comfortable silence, Ikuko watching the happy in the blonde's eye. Moments like this were something she would need to treasure more in life. Ikuko had a sinking feeling that someday her daughter was going to get hurt – something worse than sleepless nights and slipping grades. As much as she didn't want to, Ikuko wondered if she would lose her daughter someday. Ikuko sniffed, holding back tears. Usagi noticed her mother's distress and put down her fork.

"Mama?" Usagi asked, looking scared, "Is... is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh baby, no." Ikuko let the tears fall finally, "I love you so very much. You do more than I could ever do. You are stronger than I ever thought was possible. I want you to know that I am proud of you."

Usagi had a sinking feeling in her gut. The way her mother was talking was almost as if she knew Usagi's biggest secret. Thinking back over the changes in her mother's behavior the last few months, the close calls at night when she barely got back into her bed before Ikuko checked in on her. It added up. Her mother knew that she was Sailor Moon. "Mama, I…"

Ikuko shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "Don't say it. If you say it, I think it would somehow be worse for me. Just please, please promise me that you will do everything in your power to stay safe."

"I don't know if I can promise that, mama." Usagi looked down at her plate, "What I do is dangerous. The girls and I, and Mam—"

"I knew it was him." Ikuko gave a watery laugh, "The young man in the tuxedo, right? I would like to meet him, formally. Not just in my daughter's window at odd hours of the night."

"Mama!" Usagi cried, a blush blossoming on her normally pale cheeks.

"Just don't tell your father."

"Okay, mama. I promise."

A/N: Well… My first Sailor Moon fanfic ever. I've been a SM fan for twenty years and this is my first fic. I really hope you all enjoy it. It was something I randomly thought up, because Ikuko doesn't get enough love. Moms are amazing, remember that!


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